Tag: rape

Kylian Mbappé was “shocked” to see his name linked to a Swedish rape investigation, his lawyer told Agence Frane-Presse (AFP) on Tuesday, October 15. The France captain, however, is “at ease” because “he has done nothing wrong,” lawyer Marie-Alix Canu-Bernard said.

A Swedish prosecutor said Tuesday that a rape investigation had been opened without mentioning Mbappé, following media reports that the Real Madrid and France star was the suspect following a visit with friends to Stockholm.

Swedish newspapers Aftonbladet and Expressen, and public broadcaster SVT all reported that 25-year-old Mbappé was the target of the investigation, following his two-day visit to the Nordic capital last week.

Mbappé’s lawyer Canu-Bernard said on Tuesday the player was “not aware of the extent of the media frenzy, but is completely calm and does not understand what he could be accused of.” “He is stunned to hear that it could concern him. He preferred to go to training and asked my office not to leave things as they are because it is impossible to let yourself be slandered and defamed in this way. This is the reason why we are going to file a complaint for libel.”

Sweden’s Prosecution Authority said that the alleged rape had occurred at a hotel on October 10 but did not name a suspect and said no further information could be shared for the moment. “In response to media reports about a suspected rape in Stockholm, the prosecutor can confirm that a criminal report has been submitted to the police,” a statement said.

Expressen on Monday identified Mbappé as the suspect, citing anonymous sources, while Aftonbladet and SVT said Tuesday they had also obtained information confirming Mbappé was the suspect. Expressen said Mbappé was “reasonably suspected” of rape and sexual assault, the lower of two degrees of suspicion in the Swedish legal system. According to the Prosecution Authority, the higher degree of suspicion, “probable cause,” is usually a prerequisite for a suspect to be remanded in custody prior to a formal charge.

Mbappé’s lawyer said she could neither confirm nor deny claims that her client was the suspect. “We read the press,” Canu-Bernard said. “The Stockholm prosecutor’s office issued a statement, but it does not allow us to know whether Kylian Mbappe is the target. I therefore have no information allowing me to confirm whether this is indeed a complaint filed against him.”

Mbappé denounces ‘fake news’

The French star was not selected for his country’s latest round of UEFA Nations League matches, and so visited the Swedish capital with a group of people from last Wednesday. According to Aftonbladet, they dined at a restaurant before going to a nightclub. Mbappe and the group left Sweden on Friday.

Aftonbladet said the complaint was filed on Saturday after the alleged victim had sought medical attention. Expressen reported Tuesday that police had seized some clothing as evidence, saying it consisted of women’s underwear, a pair of black trousers and a black top. Photographs showed police officers leaving the Bank Hotel, where Mbappé and his entourage stayed, with brown bags on Monday.

Mbappé claimed in a post on X on Monday there was a link between the report and the hearing before a French league committee on Tuesday over his bitter dispute with his former club Paris Saint-Germain over what he says is €55 million ($60 million) in unpaid wages. “FAKE NEWS !!!!. It’s becoming so predictable, on the eve of the hearing, as if by chance,” he wrote. After the hearing, a source close to Qatari-owned PSG said the league would give its decision on October 25.